Employment law firms form network

A group of employment law firms have formed a global network to provide legal advice for international executives and employees on employment law issues, services that could be crucial for multinationals and law firms hoping to expand into new regions.

UK law firm Slater & Gordon (formerly Russell Jones & Walker) and New York outfit Outten and Golden were the catalysts in launching the new scheme, reports the Global Legal Post.

Much like the A-Team, the Lawyers' International Network for Executives and Employees (LINEE) will come together to fight the forces of evil, while also providing a cross-border international offering for executives in financial centres across the globe.

The organisation has specifically selected firm members in Australia, Ireland, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Brazil, Mexico and Canada, giving it a genuinely impressive reach across the world's financial centres as well as a foothold in developing markets.

Paul Daniels, co-chair of LINEE and a senior employment lawyer at Slater & Gordon, said: "For the first time, a strong international network will exist to serve the interests of executives and employees, in contrast to the range of networks out there servicing companies."

He added that senior business people often face employment issues where their legal position is relatively muddled, especially if they work over a number of international borders, and stressed that this kind of executive is who the new group are out to help.

Mr Daniels cited his advocates' awareness of the "international dimension" in employment law as a central part of their appeal to business executives, and in the globalised world of modern work it is likely that networks of this kind could become more popular over the coming years - especially as the internet now makes it easier for lawyers to connect whatever their geographical location.